Deaths were due to drug overdose (54%), somatic causes (32%) and traumatic causes (14%). Age had a differential effect upon risk of overdose outside treatment. Younger opioid users have the highest risk of overdose compared to older users prior to treatment. Older opioid users have the highest risk of overdose compared with younger users after leaving treatment. The high rates of overdose prior to and after treatment emphasize the need for rapid access to OMT, to retain patients in treatment and to re-enroll patients.
Addiction 104, p 1356-1362, 2009.
Lenke til abstract: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122374518/abstract